Dive into the latest in research software at IRSC—network, learn, and innovate together in person!

About IRSC

Research software is increasingly recognised as critical to research outcomes. Yet research software, and the people who develop and maintain it, operate with tremendously unstable resources and funding. This instability negatively impacts innovation by slowing research and creating unstable career pathways.

There is an urgent need for international cooperation that supports research software to solidify next-generation research and innovation.

This new event recognises that the international research software community is moving towards aligning global policies and funding, sustaining essential infrastructure, recognizing and equipping its diverse workforce, responsibly integrating AI, improving how software impact is measured, and ensuring interoperability through open, standards-based infrastructure.

The International Research Software Conference aims to support the evolution of this shift toward strategic coordination, long-term sustainability, and collaboration across boundaries.

The conference will foster:

Global cohesion: Highlight cross-border, cross-sector, and cross-discipline collaboration to build new bridges across the global research software landscape

Community connection: Showcase stakeholder stories, collaboration highlights, and best practices to connect with peers and unite efforts

Strategic impact: Influence funding, policy, and research priorities; and showcase leadership within the research software community and broader movements (e.g. open science, FAIR, research assessment reform, open source)

Who should attend

Leaders and change-makers of organisations, initiatives, and communities committed to supporting research software, and those who develop it, as fundamental and vital to research.

This includes decision makers and key influencers from:

National/international RSE associations

Research-supporting infrastructures that provide services for research software as part of their mission

Research software infrastructures (development, maintenance, sharing, connectivity)

University consortia and research organisations

Funders and policy makers

Publishers

Communities focused on open science, research assessment reform, impact measurement, training, and skills initiatives

Open scientific software and/or open source initiatives

Research programs on research software (metascience)

Open source science communities

Open science and research data communities with overlapping interest in research software (e.g., RDA, CODATA)

What to expect

The event format will combine multiple elements:

Community-challenge driven sessions sharing best practices, led by ReSA Forums and task forces

Invited speakers and panels

Open call for sessions supporting mutual learning (e.g., workshops, case studies) — selected based on clear criteria

Description supplied by the event organiser.